Dementia or just old age or what?

Aug 25, 2010

I forget alot of stuff, I also have a tendency to just accept my fate and go with the flow and accept being on ssdi. Recently Ive noticed my feelings change and almost becoming enraged over my situation. I have a hard time reading people anymore whereas I used to have an eye for BS. Now it seems Im an easy target because Im always trying to remember where I put something...I had CM and dementia in the hospital 5 yrs ago....is there any hope or is the cognitive damage too great....I also have parotid gland disease which Ifocus on alot, Im always checking myself like obsessively....Ive been to shrinks, they are nice friendly but could really give a rats a## how ur feeling....just doing their job, the last straw was when I was talkin to the quack and he fell asleep at the VA in Durham NC....Thats when I realized they are just playing the game to get their check.....Im wondering if anyone out there really understands what it is to live with HIV and Aids, the kooks at the VA infectious disease clinic in Durham havent got a clue....

Response from Mr. Vergel

I forgot to tell us your age. It seems that you really need to see your doctor about your perceived cognitive dysfunction. You say that you have been diagnosed with dementia in the past. That may be a predisposing factor to mental decline, specially if you are experiencing depression or anxiety about your looks (you mention your parotid glad enlargement self-consciousness). Are you on any antidpressant or stimulant like Ritalin, Stratera or Adderall? If not, you may want to discuss with your doctor to use of simple or combination approaches to getting your cognitive function up to where you feel in control again.

When it comes to parotid gland enlargement, I know the feeling of seeing your face get wider than it was. I had the problem and got it resolved with low dose electron radiation in Los Angeles with Dr Patricia Gordon, the leader in the US in that treatment. She can talk to a radiologist at the VA hospital to tell them her protocol. Her office : Ste 110, 150 North Robertson Boulevard
Beverly Hills, CA 90211-2118
(310) 201-6739

It is not easy to be a long term survivor, specially if we are so self conscious of how our bodies changed with lipodystrophy and aging. But I have seen many people who refuse to have a low quality of life and research all options, even the ones that the doctors do not tell you about.

You are not alone. There are probably at least 50,000 long term survivors in the United States. But sometimes I wish we had a good network to help each other. The early adapters can teach others who follow how to get access to solutions to facial and buttock lipoatrophy, parotid gland and neck enlargement, and increased belly fat. That is why I am working on a booklet for patients that includes all of these options with access resources.

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